This invention relates broadly to airdrop vehicles, especially to those incorporating sealable canisters that may be launched from aircraft.
Occasionally, it is necessary or desirable under battlefield conditions to convey documents, electronic components, and other items to ground troops via aircraft. Previously this has been done simply by attaching a parachute to the packaged item and dropping it near or in the target area. This system had a number of disadvantages in that the items being dropped were in danger of being damaged by moisture or other inhospitable conditions. Also, deployment of the parachute had to be initiated manually, which introduced danger of damage to the item being dropped and to the launching aircraft, especially if the aircraft were traveling at high speeds, as is common in military situations.